Removing a tattoo is longer, much more costly and significantly more painful than getting it, according to tattoo-removal professionals. About 32% of American adults have tattoos, and roughly one in four regret getting them, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey. For those who decide to have their ink removed, the reality is sobering: the process can take eight to twelve sessions or more, costs hundreds of dollars, and feels, by some accounts, like hot bacon grease applied to the skin.
Laser technology can break down tattoo ink into particles the body absorbs and excretes, but the procedure comes with risks including lighter skin, scarring, infection, and soreness. It is not safe for people with certain medical conditions.
Why people remove tattoos
Americans get tattoos for all sorts of reasons — to honor someone, to mark a life milestone, or simply on a whim. But not all ink endures. About one in four people who get tattooed come to regret the decision, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey.
The reasons people seek removal are as varied as the reasons they got inked in the first place. Some grow tired of their designs. Others find that new tattoos they like make old ones look bad, prompting them to remove the dated work. For Tracy Herrmann, a 54-year-old from Plymouth, Michigan, removal was about moving forward. She started getting tattoos about six years ago to mark difficult periods in her life — phrases like “One step at a time” and “Surrender” — but has since decided those chapters have closed.
“Now, I just want to move forward and go back to the original skin I was born with,” Herrmann said after her fourth laser removal session.
Jaime Howard, owner of Chroma Tattoo Studio & Laser Tattoo Removal in Brighton, Michigan, said boredom is another common driver. “They got a tattoo off a whim and they’re like ‘hey, I’m really bored with this. I don’t want this anymore,’” Howard said. “It’s not about hating their tattoo, it’s about change for yourself.”
The technical reality of removal
Removing a tattoo is far more involved than putting one on. The process relies on Q-switched lasers — devices that concentrate light energy into intense, short bursts. These pulses break the tattoo’s ink into particles small enough for the body to absorb and eventually excrete as waste.
The procedure is not a single session. Removal typically requires eight to twelve treatments or more, spaced weeks apart to allow the skin to heal between sessions. Each session lasts under a minute.
The cost, pain, and medical concerns
The pain is the procedure’s most notorious aspect. Ryan Wright, a registered nurse and owner of Ink Blasters Precision Laser Tattoo Removal in Livonia, Michigan, rated the experience plainly: “It’s very painful. Nine out of 10.” He offered a vivid comparison: “It kind of feels like a rubber band being snapped on your skin with hot bacon grease.”
Herrmann, who has undergone multiple removal sessions, concurred. “Oh gosh, it’s a 10 when you’re getting it done,” she said. “It’s pretty intense. It’s doable. I know price is sometimes an issue, but it’s worth it.”
The financial burden compounds the physical one. Howard charges a minimum of $100 per session. The final cost depends on the size of the tattoo. “The cost is really the technology in the laser,” Wright said. “It’s not like a time thing. Most treatments are under a minute. You’re paying for the technology and the person who knows how to use the technology. You can damage the skin if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
Laser removal carries medical risks as well. The procedure can leave skin lighter than surrounding tissue, cause temporary scarring, trigger infection, or produce redness and soreness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists these as documented risks.
Medical conditions pose additional concerns. People with uncontrolled diabetes should be cautious, Wright said. “Anybody with autoimmune disease or any immune deficiencies,” he added. “We can’t do it if you’re on blood thinners. I go over the side effects with everyone.”
Consultations before the procedure are essential. Most removal specialists require clients to sign waivers acknowledging the possible complications.
A history of marking skin
Tattoos themselves are ancient. The oldest known tattoos were found on the remains of a Neolithic man who lived in the Italian Alps around 3,000 B.C. Many mummies from ancient Egypt bear tattoos, as do remains from cultures across the world.
Removal methods followed. For centuries, scraping the skin to extract pigment was the crude standard. The modern approach emerged in the 1960s when Leon Goldman, a University of Cincinnati dermatologist, developed laser-based removal using what he called “hot vapor bursts.” That innovation set the stage for the Q-switched lasers that dominate today.